WASTE MANAGEMENT - Waste Management advanced facility.
Waste Management announced that it will establish the most technologically advanced facility in Toronto dedicated to processing waste materials from building construction and demolition (C&D) sites.
Courtesy/CNW-Waste Management
North American waste processing giant Waste Management will open a building construction and demolition waste processing facility in south Etobicoke this fall.
The Texas-based company touted it as the "most technologically advanced facility in Toronto" and reported it will divert more than 87,000 tonnes from landfill each year.
In Ontario, 66 per cent of the waste stream is generated in the industrial-commercial sector with only one-third borne of residential waste, Wes Muir, Waste Management director of corporate communications said Thursday in a phone interview from Houston, Tex,
"You can tell in Toronto with all the cranes and all the building that is going on, this is a much-needed service that we can provide our construction customers," Muir said.
Waste Management collects, processes and markets recyclable materials to its customers.
Wood, rock, metal, cardboard, plastic, shingles, concrete, fiberboard and panelling from construction and demolition sites are among the materials to be processed. Recyclable materials will be segmented out during processing and marketed to end markets and vendors to be repurposed into other products.
Contractors and developers no longer need to separate materials at-source, which the company expects will result in increased recovery rates of recyclables.
The company purchased the New Toronto Street building last year. With retrofits, the total investment is expected to be $16 million. The company forecasts the facility will create 20 full-time jobs.
At launch, the semi-automated single stream recycling plant is expected to run daily eight-hour shifts. It could expand to two shifts a day, Muir said.
Waste Management's dedicated construction group works with construction companies and architects to work toward minimizing the amount of waste generated. The company's Diversion And Recycling Tracking Tool is available across Canada and the U.S., operates online and is available 24 hours a day.
"DART allows construction companies to go online to map out and track their diversion," Muir said. "This is really important for companies looking for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. In Toronto, a lot of buildings are seeking LEED certification. It is very rigorous. You need to have authenticated information to confirm your diversionary goals."
Waste Management has nearly a dozen dedicated construction-demolition facilities throughout the U.S.
The company is also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in North America.